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Eritrea blocks social media

Eritreans are unable to access social media networks from yesteday, the BBC’s Tigrinya Service reports.

People have thus been forced to turn to Virtual Private Networks, VPN, to exchange messages. In Eritrea, the internet cannot be accessed via mobile phones, the report added.

The government is said to have taken the measure to avert an intended protest as the country gears up for its 26th Independence Day celebrations on May 24.

Asmara has yet to officially respond to the development. Communication like media is strictly under government control in the country considered to be a one-party state.

President Isaias Afwerki is the sole president since 1993, there is no opposition in the country. Eritrea has serially been accused of violently crashing on dissent and muzzling the media which is currently non-existent.

Internet World statistics indicate that Eritrea has by far the lowest internet penetration on the continent. As at 2018, it had only 71,000 internet users, estimated to be 1.3% of the population.